Whig-Clio and campus debate

As students trek past Cannon Green each morning, they pass Whig Hall without a second thought. Few recognize that they are passing one of the most historic institutions on campus. Behind the building's marble façade lies the home of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society, the world's oldest collegiate political, literary, and debating society. Still one of the largest student groups on campus, the Society occupies a unique place in Princeton's history. Counting James Madison, Aaron Burr, Woodrow Wilson and Adlai Stevenson as graduates, the Society has long been a stop on the road to national political service. Yet while the organization was once the dominant social and intellectual hub on campus, Whig-Clio has, of late, lost its relevance and prestige in the University community. As interest in politics has declined on campus, the organization's membership has slowly dwindled. Although the Society continues to flourish in ways that often go unnoticed by the student body at large, the organization can, and should, do more to restore the campus political dialogue it helped to initiate two centuries ago. At a time when some question student intellectualism at Princeton, Whig-Clio must rise to the challenge and tackle these concerns. By redirecting a part of its energy towards campus politics, and by reaching out to other student groups, Whig-Clio can not only save itself from irrelevance, but also reinvigorate undergraduate political awareness.

There are, however, a number of problems that impede such goals. The first concerns the administration of Whig-Clio itself. The group is currently divided into four subsidiary organizations, all of which are more focused on intercollegiate debating and coordinating events for high schoolers than on fostering campus debate. While these subsidiary organizations have thrived individually, the Society as a whole has lost much of its cohesion. At the same time, this splintering within the Society is mirrored by a second, larger problem that affects the undergraduate population as a whole. Our campus is notorious for its political apathy. Students divide their time among a dozen different pursuits, and, in the end, political activism is shortchanged. This lack of interest has hurt not only the membership of Whig-Clio, but of every politically affiliated group on campus. Yet, the students are not the only ones at fault. Rather than dealing with this far-reaching problem, the political groups on campus have not done enough to provoke discussion and promote debate on the wide variety of engaging and controversial subjects facing our country today. In addition, most have not taken advantage of the resources Princeton student life has to offer. A number of student groups, for example, popped up in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks (most notably the Princeton Committee Against Terrorism (PCAT), American Foreign Policy, and the Global Issues Forum), but these groups have failed to work together to sponsor campus-wide debate. While great potential exists to create a politically engaged student body, the opportunity has thus far been squandered.

But there is reason for hope. Whig-Clio is fortunate to possess the resources and membership base to tackle these problems. The Society cannot resolve these issues on its own, but it can lead the charge. In the past few months, Whig-Clio has taken some measures to help, and more can be expected throughout the next year. This past October, Whig-Clio organized a four-person debate on post-Sept. 11 civil liberties that brought together the ACLU, PCAT, the College Democrats and the College Republicans for an evening of fiery discussion. The event was a success, and an example of how disparate student groups can coordinate interesting and dynamic events. Tonight at 8 p.m. in Whig Hall's Senate Chamber, the Society will once again wade into campus politics, hosting debate on intellectualism with speeches from U-Councilor Josh Anderson and Daily Princetonian columnist Katherine Reilly.

Starting second semester, Whig-Clio will go one step further, expanding its Senate Debate Program significantly, bringing guest speakers, campus leaders, student debaters and professors to discuss pressing issues on a biweekly basis. In addition, the Society will be implementing an Affiliates Program, which will set aside funding and resources to work with other campus organizations to coordinate events. Whig-Clio will be actively seeking out other student groups on campus and looking for innovative ways to promote political discussion.

This spring, the Society will be organizing a weeklong conference on youth and politics, an event that will allow outside speakers and University students to discuss these very issues. Events like these establish Whig-Clio as a forum for discussion and a center for political dialogue. By fighting political apathy, Whig-Clio achieves a sense of purpose, and ensures the longterm health of the organization (and every political student group) better than any short-term policy could accomplish.

When the American Whig and Cliosophic societies were created over two centuries ago, their founders were reacting to the political apathy of Princeton students. James Madison, a founding Whig, was concerned with a university curriculum and an undergraduate attitude that scorned public service. Madison, in turn, used the two societies to train members in the skills necessary for political life: oratory, prose, rhetoric. Today, the American Whig-Cliosophic Society still prepares its members for the rigors of public service, sending them across the country and around the world to perfect the art of debate. But to fully realize the intentions of the societies' founders, we must go further. We ought to engage the student body in discussion of the issues of our day. We ought to provide an intellectual forum for these issues to be discussed. And, most importantly, we ought to instill the ethos of public service and civic duty that James Madison championed. Whig-Clio still does this today, but only to a limited extent. To save itself from irrelevance, the organization must not only change from within, but also help to promote a culture of political activism this campus has long been denied. Andrew Bruck, President-Elect of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society, is from Mendham, N.J. He can be reached at abruck@princeton.edu.